Earlier this week we marked the Solstice - Summer, if you're here in the Southern Hemisphere, Winter if you're in the Northern. It therefore seemed an apt occasion to post this exquisite art - illustrating the Army of the Sun God setting a host of demons to flight. Now, the nature of this conflict is … Continue reading On Indo-European Solar Warfare – The Sura Army of the Sun
Maruts
Rudra By Day, Rudra By Night – Countering Claims Of The Terrific God Being Somehow ‘Marginal’ Based Upon Spurious Vedic Non-Comprehension
Every so often, we run into some comment - whether on social media or in amidst academia - that is … useful, as a teachable moment for what not to do. And applicable in its general principle to a span far broader (and more persistent) than the individual exemplar that we'd run into. Often because … Continue reading Rudra By Day, Rudra By Night – Countering Claims Of The Terrific God Being Somehow ‘Marginal’ Based Upon Spurious Vedic Non-Comprehension
On Indo-European Solar Warfare – An Over-View
This week just gone marked Diwali (Deepavali) - the rather aptly translated 'Festival of Lights'. Which, as seemingly every once-over-lightly-for-a-Western-audience writeup seeks to swiftly remind us, exalts the 'Victory of Light over Darkness". It's a simple enough concept - and has near-infinite potential saliency (c.f., for instance the Solar Eclipse occurring in Svati immediately the … Continue reading On Indo-European Solar Warfare – An Over-View
A People Of Ash And Fury – On The Divinely Arboreal Genesis Of The Indo-Europeans
In recent days, our attention had been drawn to a most remarkable occurrence within the Þorleifs þáttr jarlaskálds wherein, as our learned associate, Gottfried Yann Karlssohn (who had drawn our attention to it in the first place) had phrased it - we find "a Norse king using incantations to animate a trémaðr (treeman), giving him a … Continue reading A People Of Ash And Fury – On The Divinely Arboreal Genesis Of The Indo-Europeans
On The Army of Kali
Finger-Snapping Intensifies Kali - and Dakinis , striding forth from the Smashana (Cremation Ground). We would, perhaps, suggest that this is a 'Smashana *krewh₂-' As in a 'Crew' … but using that particular Proto-Indo-European term which stands for 'Cold Blood' (in contrast to *h₁ésh₂r̥ - 'hot-blood', 'alive-blood'). This informs Sanskrit 'Kravya' (क्रव्य - 'raw flesh', … Continue reading On The Army of Kali
The Crows Of Kali
For Kali Jayanti - a Crow. Now, of course, I am indulging myself here by presenting a Crow as Devotee to Her … yet there is actually a comparatively little-known suite of resonant conceptry for the Corvid in relation to Kali. She is, after all, Kakamukhi - The Crow-Faced One. This is as we should … Continue reading The Crows Of Kali
On Becoming Rudra – The Indo-European Investiture Of The Divine Essence In Ritual And Beyond
It is Wednesday ! Odin's Day ! And so therefore, some absolutely excellent (A)Art-i and accompanying commentary upon the relevant Indo-European theological precept, in His Name - quite literally, as it should happen. The art is by HC - and was initially destined to evocatively illustrate a section of my ongoing RUDRAGANIKA series.Yet it … … Continue reading On Becoming Rudra – The Indo-European Investiture Of The Divine Essence In Ritual And Beyond
Marut Art for Monday – Rudra’s Day
It is Monday - Rudra's Day : And therefore … a Marut, as rendered by HC. Now, way back when we started this effort, having Marut art was one of my major objectives. There's a surprising paucity of it out there 'in the wild'. We've made an effort to collate an array of scriptural and … Continue reading Marut Art for Monday – Rudra’s Day
On Hera In The Orphic Canon – The Sovereign Queen & Sky Father’s Equal
It is occasionally alleged that our belief in a Goddess Who is, we may say, not only the "Radiant Queen of the Heavens" - but also an Imperial Sovereign over existence, and an 'Equal' (rather than a 'Chattel') to Her Husband, the Sky Father … is some form of curiously specific Hindu enthusiasm that we … Continue reading On Hera In The Orphic Canon – The Sovereign Queen & Sky Father’s Equal
The Maricis Of Lord Surya – A Solar Warrior Women Typology ?
A carved Surya from Magadha, likely about 21-22 centuries old. Now, I felt this deserved a brief commentary due to the two decidedly female figures either side of Lord Surya in the Solar Chariot. Per the Suprabedhagama and Amsumadbhedagama (manuals of Hindu iconographic depiction, inter alia) - we may find Surya flanked by Prathyusha & … Continue reading The Maricis Of Lord Surya – A Solar Warrior Women Typology ?